For today’s media lawyers, these are exciting times. Canadian courts are redefining reporters’ rights and duties for the 21st century.
At the same time, the rapidly changing media landscape means the rising generation of practitioners will be tackling issues that their predecessors could not have imagined.
There are certain items I just don’t order in restaurants because, invariably, I just know they’re going to suck the bag.
One of these items is the steak sandwich. When done properly, it may well be the best sandwich situation going — I mean, medium-rare grilled steak, punctuated with some caramelized onions or garlicky, buttery mushrooms, slathered with melted cheese and all tucked into a fresh toasty baguette? Sign me up.
But more often than not, what you get is some variation of an overcooked slab of rubbery meat, covered with limp and uninspired toppings, and the entire affair falls apart as soon as you sink your teeth into the leathery meat (usually the bite-down-and-pull method, while somewhat effective, results in the whole steak sliding right out of the sandwich). Then you spend the rest of your time eating it in components with utensils, because it’s too messy, and you have steak juice all over your face and hands, and you need a wet-nap, and you should have known when you said “medium rare” it would just come out “medium” so you probably should have said “rare” and...gahh!...why did I order this piece of garbage when I knew better?
Sometimes you just have to make the damn sandwich yourself.
After the jump: a great recipe, and an impassioned defence of flank steak
Every weekday morning, Precedent scours the headlines to find stories likely to be today's hot topics.
Air India bombing witness Inderjit Singh Reyat’s perjury trial came to a dead stop after the jury was dismissed amid allegations of racial bias on the part of one juror. [Globe and Mail]
Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian human-rights lawyer living in exile in Spain, says that world leaders are focusing too much on Iran’s nuclear program, at the expense of potential support for the nation’s people. [Globe and Mail]
A new U.S. poll shows that 60% of Americans support televising Supreme Court proceedings, and half of all respondents said they would watch. The survey also found that 56% of those polled are in favour of an 18-year term limit for justices. [ABA Journal]
Pets in Switzerland were denied the right to taxpayer-funded lawyers after a referendum on the subject failed to pass. The country already has a number of animal protection laws on the books, including a certification program for dog owners. [Toronto Star]
What: Operanation 6: Habanera Where: Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts When: February 26, 2010
The vibe was energetic at the Canadian Opera Company as it celebrated its annual fundraiser. Themed in honour of the vibrant and sensual Carmen by George Bizet, Operanation 6: Habanera was infused with a posh Latin aura as dancers roamed through the crowd treating revellers to sexy twists and twirls. Adding to the beautiful backdrop were some of Toronto’s finest dolled-up babes and suited-up studs creating a bountiful scene for the greatest number of photographers I have seen since TIFF.
For those who love to shop and donate at the same time, the event boasted an impressive silent auction featuring such beauties as a private screening, Fairmont hotel stays in Whistler and Banff, and a flight/hotel/golf getaway at Montebello. But by far the most endearing aspect of the evening was that even in the midst of a decadent fundraiser, on the second floor, where a lone TV was tuned to the vitally important Canadian men’s hockey game against Slovakia, partygoers flocked to the screen en masse - even filling the stairs to the third floor attempting to get a better view.
For some pictures of fellow lawyers out supporting the Canadian Opera Company check out the slideshow above.
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The Quebec government reconvenes today with two thorny legal issues on its plate: crafting a response to the Supreme Court's decision regarding English-language schools, and debating whether the niqab should be banned in certain places. [Globe and Mail]
Lysiane Gagnon: Even Egypt has limits on when and where people can veil their faces. [Globe and Mail]
In a move being called "unabashed judicial activism" by the Texas attorney general, a judge in the Lone Star State granted a pretrial motion declaring the death penalty unconstitutional. [Wall Street Journal — Law Blog]
Michael Bryant's criminal case has been put over to April 14. The Crown said during the brief hearing that disclosure is essentially complete. [Globe and Mail]
The expected M&A boom in telecom arising from the relaxation of foreign ownership rules is now less likely given the government's revelation that it won't drop restrictions industry-wide. [Globe and Mail]
Jim Middlemiss: Osgoode's new dean, Lorne Sossin, starts in July; Dalhousie is in the process of selecting a new dean, too. [National Post — Legal Post]
Some of my best memories of growing up in Toronto are the outings I would go on with my aunt, uncle and cousins. As an only child, I often played alone or tagged along with my dad on his more adult pursuits (I spent a lot of time at used bookstores that specialized in spiritual, New Age material). But every now and again, I would set out on a wholesome adventure with my extended family, and we had some good times. There was Riverdale Farm and the promise of the ice cream parlour across the street (I always got a large mint chocolate chip cone), the Fantasy Fair indoor amusement park at Woodbine Centre, and who can forget laser tag and Chuck E Cheese’s?
But there are special kids’ activities taking place this weekend all over Toronto. While this might be a nightmare for your back, the ROM is offering its ROMkids Nature Sleepover to families who are into biodiversity and the natural world. Bring a sleeping bag and a pillow and participate in craft making, get special access to certain parts of the museum, hang out with the museum’s nature experts, watch a movie and sing karaoke in your pajamas, all in one night. If I was 20 years younger, I would be psyched to sleep overnight at a museum.
After the jump: more kid-friendly activities, from snow taffy to Ice Daffy.
Every weekday morning, Precedent scours the headlines to find stories likely to be today's hot topics.
The Ontario government is appealing the sentence of the man convicted of a racially motivated attack against some Asian fishermen. One of the victims suffered permanent brain injuries in the attack, for which Trevor Middleton was sentenced to two years less a day, with a 10-year driving ban. [Globe and Mail]
Jim Middlemiss: The Federal government announced in its latest budget plans to close a tax loophole frequently employed by income trusts. [National Post — Legal Post]
In the appeal case of the man accused of sexually assaulting his twin brother’s lover, the defence is arguing that a conviction will “trivialize the crime of sexual assault,” while the Crown says that the man’s actions were clearly “fraudulent intent or recklessness.” [Globe and Mail]
Today we live in a Golden Age of wine. Cheap and mid-priced bottles have never been so good. Agricultural breakthroughs, better hygiene and a devotion to terroir have all made today’s table wine head and shoulders the best of any age of humankind. (The only sand-in-the-Vaseline comes in the highest tier of wine, which is exponentially more expensive than it was just a few decades ago.)
Thanks to the Internet, we also have more information about wine than we’ve ever had before. Theoretically, this is supposed to help you, the consumer, find wine that you’ll really enjoy. Unfortunately, the web being the web, this knowledge isn’t exactly at your fingertips. It’s scattered like chaff across a hundred magazines, subscriber sites and free newsletters, which is little assistance when you’re actually scanning the shelves at the store for a good tipple.
This is why the new site Wine Align is the best thing that’s happened to Ontario wine since William Lenko planted the first Chardonnay grapes on his Niagara farmland. Wine Align is a website that elegantly integrates into one page the scores and reviews from dozens of different wine writers. It then links this page to the LCBO’s own inventory locator. It allows you to sift through the best wines at your local LCBO from your desktop or, as you trawl through the aisles at Vintages, you can use your Blackberry to investigate each bottle.
If I sound like I’m trying to create a buzz for Wine Align, there’s a reason for that: I am.
If the bottom left face in the above photo collage doesn't reveal the secret of Matthew's unabashed enthusiasm, he'll reveal it for you explicitly...after the jump.
Whaley Estate Litigation celebrated the opening of its new, Audrey Hepburn–inspired office last Thursday. Surrounded by balloons, partygoers were treated not only to delicious appetizers and bevys, but more importantly to some of us, firm-inspired cookies!
For a taste (pun intended) of the festivities, check out the photos in the slideshow above.
For today’s media lawyers, these are exciting times. Canadian courts are redefining reporters’ rights and duties for the 21st century.
There are certain items I just don’t order in restaurants because, invariably, I just know they’re going to suck the bag. 
The spring 2010 issue of Precedent will arrive on your desk this week.
Some of my best memories of growing up in Toronto are the outings I would go on with my aunt, uncle and cousins. As an only child, I often played alone or tagged along with my dad on his more adult pursuits (I spent a lot of time at used bookstores that specialized in spiritual, New Age material). But every now and again, I would set out on a wholesome adventure with my extended family, and we had some good times. There was Riverdale Farm and the promise of the ice cream parlour across the street (I always got a large mint chocolate chip cone), the Fantasy Fair indoor amusement park at Woodbine Centre, and who can forget laser tag and Chuck E Cheese’s? 
Today we live in a Golden Age of wine. Cheap and mid-priced bottles have never been so good. Agricultural breakthroughs, better hygiene and a devotion to terroir have all made today’s table wine head and shoulders the best of any age of humankind. (The only sand-in-the-Vaseline comes in the highest tier of wine, which is